


Underneath It All

by cuddleefuddlee



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Getting Together, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Miscommunication, a berd is a buff nerd sorry i don't make the rules, artist Suga, if you can find all of the rarepairs you get five points, it's pretty vague but just to be safe!, iwa is a berd, nerd iwa, tinder au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:00:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26800291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cuddleefuddlee/pseuds/cuddleefuddlee
Summary: “Hey Koushi,” Hajime mumbles into grey hair. He’s wading through uncharted territory, but the alcohol in his system is telling him to take the plunge. Taking the risk has always been worth the reward when it came to Suga. “Look at me.”“What’s up?” His words are just to the side of tipsy, slurring together in a way that makes Hajime smile. It takes a few seconds but eventually, Suga turns his eyes on him.“I think I love you.”What follows is silence.
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Sugawara Koushi
Comments: 14
Kudos: 96





	Underneath It All

**Author's Note:**

> me, while holding a potato with the word iwasuga on it and in a marge simpson voice: i just think they're neat
> 
> anyway, [this](https://inplacescityguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/jules-de-balincourt-there-are-more-eyes-than-leaves-on-the-trees-until-sep-5-2020-galerie-thaddaeus-ropac-paris-marais.jpg) is the painting that pops up in this fic. it's a beautiful piece by jules de balincourt and you should check out the rest of his works if you get the chance!

_You’ve been matched!_

Hajime stares at the words that flash across his screen. This whole thing was Oikawas idea, of course, and he had regretted it the moment he handed his phone over to his best friend. He’s still not sure why he even agreed to it in the first place. All he remembers is Oikawa whining about how they need to have fun since it’s their last year then an hour and half a six-pack later, he was staring at Tinder in the palm of his hand. 

He taps back into the chat and reads the message again, attempting to wrap his head around what it means. 

**_Sugawara:_ **

_so, godzilla gets you horny huh?_

Hajime blinks at the message a few times before clicking onto his profile. His bio, which he allowed Oikawa to write for some unknown reason, was “ **biology, math rock enthusiast, horny for godzilla.** ” There’s even a little dinosaur emoji at the end of it as if it would make the bio better. 

He was going to kill Oikawa if it was the last thing he did. 

**_Iwaizumi:_ **

_a friend made my bio, i’m just a regular fan_

**_Sugawara:_ **

_would you unmatch if i said i’ve never seen a single godzilla movie?_

The corners of his mouth twitch upward. Hajime was never one to let a chance to tease pass, but that doesn’t mean he can’t make this Sugawara sweat it out a bit. Instead of answering, he clicks on his profile — Oikawa was the one who swiped right on however many profiles before Hajime was able to grab his phone back — and scrolls through. 

If he had to pick a word to describe Sugawara, he would pick devious. At first glance, he looks innocent, all soft edges and pretty smiles. But, Hajime knows better. He can see the mischievous glint in his eyes, the corners of his mouth that scream trouble. It makes the dangerous part in Hajime want to know more. He spares a glance down at the bio; “ **pls** **don’t use an art pick up line just because i’m an artist. fax me so i know it’s real.** ” 

He taps back into the chat, a smirk on his face. 

**_Iwaizumi:_ **

_as long as you don’t unmatch me for only knowing da vinci_

**_Sugawara:_ **

_not all of us art kids are snobs iwa-kun ( ｰ̀εｰ́ )_

**_Iwaizumi:_ **

_iwa-kun?_

**_Sugawara:_ **

_too forward?_

**_Iwaizumi:_ **

_nah, it’s cute_

“Oh? What’s this? Does Tinder-kun have you wrapped around their finger already?” 

As soon as Oikawa's voice is in his ear, Hajime locks his phone and shoves it into his pocket. He can already see the pout to the side of him but decides to ignore it in favor of grabbing another beer. 

“His name isn’t Tinder-kun, Shittykawa.” He hides his smile behind the can as he lifts it to his lips. “And I’m not telling you his name either.” 

“ _Come on_ , Iwa-chan. You can’t keep him all to yourself. It’s not fair especially since I set the whole thing up.” 

Okay, even Hajime could admit that Oikawa had a point. Even so, he doesn’t want to share Sugawara with him just yet. He doesn’t want to fuck this up before it even gets started because Oikawa sent some ridiculous message while he wasn’t looking at his phone. 

“Iwa, it’s not going to kill you if you show me his profile.” 

He sighs, digs the phone out of his pocket, and hands it over. “Don’t send him anything weird. I already have to change the bio you made.” 

“It was clever, Iwa-chan.” Hajime can hear the smugness in his voice. “He messaged you didn’t he?” 

Once again, he has to admit Oikawa is right. To deal with that thought, he takes another sip from the can in his hand. Sure, Oikawa made the account. Sure, he chose what pictures to upload and typed out the bio. Sure, he swiped right on some accounts. He sighs again and looks over at him. 

“Ooh, he’s a cutie,” he says. A thumb taps through the pictures then back again. “Not as cute as Tsum-chan, but cute. Oh, and he’s an artist. You need someone that’s fun after Aran said you were boring.” 

“He didn’t call me boring,” Hajime scowls. “He said I’m serious about my work and that he understood it was important to me.” 

“ _I’m just saying_ , this Suga-chan looks like he can have a fun time.” 

“You’re already calling him Suga-chan?” 

“He did say to call him Suga.” 

“He— _what_?” 

Hajime reaches for the phone, shoving a shoulder into Oikawa to get it back. _Of course_ Oikawa would look at their messages. He should have known better than to let the other man handle his phone. 

**_Sugawara:_ **

_you can just call me suga_

**_Iwaizumi:_ **

_a cute name for a cute guy_

He practically cringes at the message. How lame did he have to be to actually type that message and send it? Where did all his game go? The little bubble that says Suga is typing practically mocks him. _Way to go, Hajime. You’re never gonna get laid now, Hajime._

**_Sugawara:_ **

_who knew the berd was a flirt?_

**_Iwaizumi:_ **

_the berd? wtf is that?_

**_Sugawara:_ **

_it’s a buff nerd_

_buff + nerd = berd_

_lame, i know. but you’re definitely one_

It is lame and yet, Hajime is sitting there laughing at how ridiculous this conversation is. He can’t remember the last time he laughed so hard at someone's attempt to get to know him. It’s cute. 

___________________________

**_Sugawara:_ **

_hey iwa-kun_

**_Iwaizumi:_ **

_what’s up_

**_Sugawara:_ **

_i think it’s time we finally exchanged numbers_

**_Iwaizumi:_ **

_sure_

_any reason why?_

**_Sugawara:_ **

_that would ruin the fun (~￣³￣)~_

___________________________

“Be careful not to touch the artwork,” the student working at the gallery table says. “Here’s the list of students who are currently in this room.” 

Hajime mutters a thanks and scans the list of names for one in particular. The whole reason he’s even there is to see what Suga has been working on since they started talking. _“It’s only one of a few for my semester-long collection, but this one is my favorite.”_ That was all it took for him to make time on a random Tuesday to see it for himself. 

It takes a few moments of walking in circles for him to find the painting in question. For some reason it’s situated towards the back wall, all by itself; it’s weird but Hajime doesn’t know shit about how art is supposed to be displayed so he doesn’t question it. Even from a few feet away, he can tell it’s beautiful, but as he steps closer he gasps. 

He’s not sure where to look first, eyes dancing around the canvas to take in the colors. From his limited knowledge of color theory, he knows that the whole thing is shades of blue; ranging from navy to teal to periwinkle. The warm reds used in it offset the cool tones pop in a way that Hajime never would have thought possible. 

He thinks it’s the most beautiful piece of art he’s ever seen. 

He pulls his phone out and taps into the camera. His hand runs through his hair a few times in an attempt to tame the spikes and after a few unsuccessful moments, he gives up. Centering the camera so that only the top half of his face and the painting are in it, he takes a few selfies. It looks silly, he knows this from the looks the other students in the gallery give him as they walk by, but he couldn’t care less. He picks out the best one to send to Suga. 

**_From: Iwaizumi_ **

_[attachment: one image]_

**_From: Suga_ **

_two pieces of art in one photo? be still my heart_

_i didn’t think you’d actually go!_

**_From: Iwaizumi_ **

_you worked hard on it, i had to check it out_

A smile cracks across his face and Hajime already knows he’s in deep.

___________________________

Everything changes on the day Hajime decides he needs an extra cup of coffee if he’s going to survive his next lecture. The closest coffee shop to their building is also the only one that consistently has a line because Oikawa's boyfriend and twin happen to work there and apparently most people on campus have bad taste. 

It’s Hajime's nightmare come to life especially when all he wants is a black coffee and Oikawa is telling Kuroo about his weekend with Atsumu in detail behind him. 

They’re not even halfway through the door when Oikawa grabs his shoulder. “Oh look! Samu-chan is working. Wait, is that his boyfriend?” 

Hajime looks up from his phone and makes eye contact with brown eyes. It takes him a few moments to realize that he recognizes those eyes than an extra moment to realize that his two worlds are colliding in a tiny coffee shop on campus. 

“Suga?” 

For a moment it feels like everything stills. Hajime can’t tear his eyes away from Suga. He thinks this is what it must be like to see a unicorn in a forest if they were real because even after taking for months and going to the same university, this is the first time he's actually seen Suga in person. 

Then Suga drops the drink in his hand and everything comes rushing back. The sounds of the coffee shop close in on him and he can hear Oikawa shouting to Osamu behind the counter about how he's definitely dating the better twin because Atsumu would've gotten the person another drink by now. The person next to Suga scoffs at them, letting him know that Osamu is _definitely_ the better twin to date. Hajime glances at the man with blonde hair and black tips; he recognizes him from photos Sugas sent him. 

They were less than five degrees of separation from each other and never knew. 

He watches Suga blink and a blush cross his face. Hajime can feel his own face heating up as he watches Suga try to regain his cool. In all their months of talking, he never thought that the latter would be the one to get _flustered_ when they met. It's cute watching him look everywhere and anywhere, the smallest of smiles on his face. 

"Hey Iwa-kun." 

___________________________

They decide to keep it casual. 

At least, that’s what they tell themselves in the beginning. Their excuse is that they met on Tinder and no serious relationship ever starts on Tinder. They joke about how they’d come up with a lie on the fly if they ever told their parents how they met. It’s fun, it’s casual. 

But, the line between casual is something that blurs with every day they talk. They call each other by their given names, they visit each other after class to walk across campus, they meet up for late-night meals when they know the other is in their respective building too far into the night. It’s cute, it’s casual. 

That line continues to blur as they spend whole weekends in each other's apartments or when Suga sketches Hajime when the light hits him just right in the afternoon or when Hajime asks how Suga's latest painting is going. They call each other whenever their work gets in the way and send selfies in the middle of their lectures. Their friends stick their tongues out at them when they link their fingers as they walk side by side. It’s soft, it’s casual. 

They both agree to keep things casual, but that doesn’t stop the words that come from Sugas mouth one afternoon when their legs are intertwined on his couch. 

“Hey,” he starts. “Promise me something.” 

Hajime looks up from the textbook in his lap, brows knitted together. “What is it?” 

“Promise you won’t fall in love with me.” 

Tension starts filling the room as soon as the words fall between them. Hajime's shoulder tense as Suga looks at him, gaze expectant, and digging into him. There’s only one correct answer to his request and while Hajime knows he might not follow through on it, he’ll be damned if he loses Suga now. 

“I promise.”

___________________________

**_From: Suga_ **

_are u busy rn?_

Hajime reads the text once, twice, rubs the heel of his hand in his eyes and reads it a third time before finally unlocking his phone. He’s been holed up in the lab for three hours working on something that should have been done yesterday. Honestly, he would have done it but there were more important things to do; namely Suga. He knows it’s irresponsible, but priorities. 

**_From: Hajime_ **

_i’m taking a break_

_what’s up_

He practically jumps when his phone starts ringing, Suga's name flashing across his screen. The other student working in the lab shoots him a look and he mumbles an apology before making a beeline for the door. 

“Suga?” 

“Hey, sorry,” Suga breathes. He sounds breathless, like he was on a run. “Did I distract you from your work?” 

“Nah, you’re good. Are you okay?”

“What? Oh, yeah I’m fine,” he laughs. “Are you at your apartment?” 

Hajime peeks back into the lab through the glass in the door. He knows Suga well enough by now that he’s well aware of what comes next. “I’m at the lab.” 

“Oh thank god,” Suga sighs. “I wasn’t sure if you’d be there but I took a gamble and started heading there. Which floor is it again?” 

“The fourth. Are you coming here—”

“See you in a few!” 

And with that, the line goes dead. He pulls the phone away from his face, laughing at how impulsive Suga is. It's one of the things he likes best about him because there's never a dull moment with him. 

Hajime leans against the wall and waits. 

___________________________

Halloween is Suga's idea. Correction, dressing up in matching costumes for Halloween was Suga’s idea. And because it’s Suga’s idea, Hajime can’t say no; not when Suga’s grinning at and blushing at him like he’s nervous to even ask in the first. 

Which is how Hajime finds himself standing in the doorway of some random kids apartment, staring at Suga like he’s an angel out of some painting. Which is ironic since he’s the one dressed as a devil, but rose colored glasses and all that. 

His hair is wild even with devil horns clipped in, silver strands glittering even more than usual with the lights they have set up in the corners. The undone buttons of the red dress shirt he’s wearing reveals freckles and milky skin while his pants practically look sewn on. From here, Hajime can see glitter and blush across his cheeks.

Hajime is half convinced that he’s in one of his dreams when Suga happens to glance over at him, a grin splitting across his face. 

“Hajime!” Suga crashes into him, burying his face in his chest. “I was wondering when you were gonna get here.”

He tries to swallow but by now his mouth has gone dry. “Sorry, I couldn’t get the halo to stay on.” It’s true; every time he tried to get that damn headband to stay on his head, his hair would somehow push it off. Eventually, he had to give up and ask Oikawa to help. 

“I think it looks good. You’re a sight for sore eyes tonight.” 

He doesn’t think it’s true but doesn’t bother correcting Suga. If the latter thinks he looks good in a white v-neck and jeans, then who is he to say he’s wrong? 

By the time they make it back to Hajime's apartment, they’re covered in spilled drinks and glitter and spiderwebs from the party. They’re loose-limbed and relaxed as they fall into his bed, laughter following as they each peel off their clothes. It’s a dance they’ve done hundreds of times before and hundreds of times to come. 

“Hey Koushi,” Hajime mumbles into grey hair. He’s wading through uncharted territory, but the alcohol in his system is telling him to take the plunge. Taking the risk has always been worth the reward when it came to Suga. “Look at me.” 

“What’s up?” His words are just to the side of tipsy, slurring together in a way that makes Hajime smile. It takes a few seconds but eventually, Suga turns his eyes on him. 

“I think I love you.” 

What follows is silence. 

When Hajime wakes up the next day, it’s to an empty bed. The other pillow is cool to the touch and he feels his heart in his throat. He glances around the room, noticing all of Suga's clothes are no longer in a pile on the floor but gone. It was as if Suga had never been there in the first place. 

There’s a headache making its way to the front of his skull and all he can do is groan as he reaches for the phone on his nightstand. What he reads on the screen cuts through his hangover and to his heart. 

**_From: Suga_ **

_i think we should end things_

___________________________

“Hey.” 

Hajime blinks at the figure in front of once, twice, three times before looking around to make sure he’s not dreaming. Because if he’s not dreaming, that means Semi is standing in front of the biology building with some look on his face that tells Hajime he’s not going to enjoy what he hears from the other. 

He likes Semi, he really, truly does. But he’s also Suga's best friend and Hajime's relationship grieving period started a few hours ago so seeing him is the last thing he wants right now. 

“What are you doing here?” 

“I came to talk. You’re free now, right?” 

Semi doesn’t wait for an answer, instead pushes off the building and leaves Hajime to follow. He doesn’t bother asking how he knows his schedule, just falls in step next to him. 

“I don’t know what happened between you and Suga—”

“He didn’t tell you?” 

“—and I’m not going to ask because I already have an idea of what it was,” Semi continues as if Hajime didn’t interrupt. “But, you should know that the way things ended with his ex fucked him up. He just watched as the rest of our friends got into relationships because he didn’t think he deserved to be in one.”

Now _that_ catches Hajime off guard. He tries to rack his brain for any conversation about exes from their time spent together and comes up with nothing. Sure, he mentioned things about his exes or things they’ve said about him. But he comes up empty when he tries to remember Suga mentioning it. 

“I have a plan if you’re willing to volunteer for it.” 

“What is it?”

___________________________

This is a bad idea. No, scratch that. This is a horrible terrible idea and Hajime knows that. He’s never done anything like this simply because he never thought he would. 

Turns out, all it takes for him to model naked in front of some art students is the pipe dream that Suga would talk to him after. He pulls the robe around him tighter, realizing that maybe he should’ve just waited for Suga outside of his classroom instead of going this far. But it’s too late and the voices on the other side of the room are steadily growing louder. 

“Alright, everyone. Thanks to Semi-kun and his friend, we have a new model today. Iwaizumi-kun, you can come out now.”

Hajime takes in one last deep breath before stepping into the room. It’s silent for all of one second before he hears someone whisper to Semi about how he knows someone so hot. While the rest of the class laughs at that, Suga just stares at him and because Hajime's single brain cell took the day off, he stares back. It’s been three weeks since he saw Suga and seeing him in his element almost makes Hajime blush more than he already is. 

After a few moments of openly staring at Suga, Hajime clears his throat and looks away. He’s there to model, not to stare at his ex, and pretend that he’s not about to pull him out of the classroom and towards one of their apartments in just a robe. He doesn’t miss the glares Suga sends Semis way who looks like he could care less that he set this whole thing up. 

When the teacher finally allows him to get dressed, Hajime all but runs to the office. All he wants to do is throw his clothes back on and catch Suga before he runs away again. It’s his only chance and he won’t let it slip through his fingers. 

He takes a breath before reaching for the doorknob, sweat already pooling in them, but stops when he hears a hard edge to a familiar voice. Hajime tries not to listen when he hears voices outside the door, he knows it’s rude and the last thing he needs now is to get caught. But hearing Suga's voice sound so angry makes him listen in. 

“Did you put him up to this?”

“Look, I know you’re mad at me for this but what else was I supposed to do? You’ve been sulking for weeks, Suga, and he’s not doing that great either.” 

“I don’t need you to meddle in my shit, Semi. It’s better like this, alright?” 

“Clearly not. Stop being a coward and _talk to him_. Let yourself be happy for once.”

It’s now or never for him; stand there and listen to Suga argue with Semi only for him to walk away or open the door and figure out what the hell happened and maybe get Suga back. 

Whatever Suga was about to say gets lodged in his throat, mouth hanging open when his eyes land on Hajime. He attempts to smile but all it does is cause Suga to look back at Semi, frown even deeper than it was before. 

“Hey, sorry. Did I interrupt?”

“Nope,” Semi answers, already walking away from them by the time he continues. “See you guys later.” 

The air around them is thick, it reminds Hajime of the time he made that promise to Suga all those months ago.

“We can talk in my apartment.” 

The walk is silent, filled with nothing but stolen glances at Suga who walks a few feet in front of him. At this point, the least Hajime can do is give him space. 

They’re barely in the genkan when Suga turns to him, face calm and eyes boring into him. His hands are balled into fists and all Hajime wants is to grab them, place kisses on each knuckle, and murmur that it’s okay, everything is okay. 

“You broke your promise.” There’s something in Suga's voice that he doesn’t recognize; something that sounds like he’s teetering on the edge of a cliff and Hajime’s the only one who could pull him back. “I thought you said you didn’t break promises.” 

“Koushi, I—” he cuts himself off. “I know. I’m sorry.” 

He looks down, tracing the laces on his shoes 

“Ask me.” 

“What?” 

“Ask me out. Officially.” 

Hajime swears he hears blood rush in his ears. The last few months have been more than he could imagine and the last three weeks felt like hell on Earth. He realizes that he’s still staring at his feet instead of the boy in front of him. When he manages to drag his eyes up to Suga’s face, he sees 

“Date me?” 

“That was such a lame way to ask,” Sugas grin undermines his words. “I’ll take it though.” 

“Is that a yes?” He steps closer. “Because it sounds like a yes.” 

“Yes, Hajime. It’s a yes.” 

His fingers are shaking but that doesn’t stop him from reaching for Sugas jaw and pulling their faces close. Unlike most of their previous kisses, Suga kisses like coming home after being gone for too long. It’s soft and warm, like honey dripping off of a spoon or rain sliding down a leaf in the woods. 

It’s everything they’ve both missed. 

Hajime is convinced he holds the most valuable piece of art in his fingers at that very moment and refuses to let go of it. 

___________________________

There’s a thumping coming from somewhere in their apartment that wakes up Hajime. At first, he thinks it’s just the pounding in his head from too many margaritas the night before — Koushi promised they weren’t going to go crazy for his birthday but that didn’t stop him and their friends from ordering rounds of drinks until they closed the bar — but it doesn’t stop when he buries his head even further into his pillow. 

There’s a groan and the body next to him twists in his arms. 

“Hajime,” Suga croaks, voice hoarse from all the yelling he did last night. “Make it stop.” 

He grunts back but makes no attempt at moving from their bed. It’s a Sunday and they’re hungover and he’s pretty sure it’s just their neighbors trying to get revenge on them for being too loud. It’ll stop in a few minutes. 

Except, it doesn’t stop. It gets more consistent and now both of them are burying further under the covers to escape from it. At one point he even shoves his head under the mountain of pillows they have on the bed in an attempt to ignore it. But it’s just so loud and consistent and Hajime swears he’s going to kill whoever’s ruining his lazy morning in bed with his boyfriend. 

Suga whines again and finally, _finally_ Hajime slithers out from under the covers and sits on the edge of the bed. He’ll check it out, but he’s not going to be happy about it. He grabs his glasses and runs a hand through his hair, groaning when the room spins just a bit when he stands. Really, he should know better than this by now. He’s an adult for God's sake. 

It’s only by chance that he makes it through their apartment to the living without incident. He thanks whichever God is looking over him because he swore the table in the hallway would be his downfall. Not that he feels any better now that he’s closer to the thumping. 

At this point, Hajime is ready to fight that sound. All he wants is to crawl back into bed with Suga, stay there until their stomachs start growling, then move to the couch to watch their latest guilty pleasure show. 

But when he peeks through the peephole in the door, he barely holds back another groan. There’s shuffling behind him then a solid weight against his back and arms around his waist. 

“Shit.” 

“Hajime,” Suga mumbles into his back. “Who is it?” 

“The guy from next door that always complains we’re too loud.” 

He feels Suga laugh more than hears it. 

“Let's go back to bed. We can deal with him later when he comes back to complain even more.”

**Author's Note:**

> the rarepair queen is back back back again! iwasuga would be so powerful and no, i will not hear any objections to that. as always, if you want to scream at me on [twitter](https://www.twitter.com/sunasimps) about these two or any of the other rarepairs i'm obsessed, feel free!


End file.
